...transmitter-'form' which are mostly-due to the used frequency band-looking like a baseball-club. This 'club'-shaped area (which is the ONLY POSSIBLE AREA to receive or commit calls) is oriented HORIZONTALLY, logically, because 'most of the people' using cell-phones are located on the surface of the earth - or? Because even the angele at the base of this 'club'-characteristic is about 30°-40° - YOU NEED 3, 4, even 6 antenna-devices on the transmitter-mast for covering the whole area around (360°)
As it is not so common that sombody needs to call with his cell phone from 35,000 feet it would be a waste of resources to equip the masts with antennas 'looking' for calls 'from heaven'...
;-)
so...
1. The antennas in use don't have a characteristic transmitting and receiving UPWARDS because simply not necessary...
2. The other FACTOR is, that when you are moving e.g. in a car you CHANGE these transmitters, which are about 20 to 40 kms apart (in the city because of lots of buildings-less...).
When you change with your cell-phone from one area to another - there is a software running in the background, making the change to another transmitting-tower possible. This is called 'handshake-procedure'. When there isn't any signal (tower in your range) available - your call drops dead...
The execution of this 'hand-shake-protocoll' takes some time. So if you move faster than this 'hand-shake-procedure' lasts (sometimes 10-20sec) between your cell-phone and the 'new' antenna (which connects your call always further to the network) the software exchange dosn't work at all. You have to try the call again, until you get into the receiving-area of a new receiving antenna...
Simply calculate the travelling speed of an airplane and the 10-20 secs necessary to change towers (average 25 kms distance) when you move - and you'll see its almost impossible for that reason too...
3. The 'cell-phones' on the planes (in the seats) communicate via the airline frequencies and devices and are a completely different system. They clearly work during flight...
War on Error, Part 3650: "No Kia on Flights"
Far Sight 3
